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“‘Closed system’ meaning?”

“Meaning the cameras are recording but not connected to the internet or any outside source. Everything must be saved and managed here, locally. Which is good news and bad news. The bad news is I can’t get the footage using my usual ways. No hacking, no breaking in remotely and getting the files we need that way.”

“And the good news?”

Joy had beamed at her. “The good news is you’re going to steal it for us.”

And that’s how they ended up here, standing in a dark corner past the bathrooms on the second floor of the nightclub. The VIP area was a few feet away, guarded by a massive Shifter who was built like a brick wall of muscle and body odor.

They were far enough from the action on the dance floor that the music was dulled to a tolerable level. The smell of desperation and cheap liquor that permeated the lower floor was barely perceptible up here. It was a relief, honestly, and Fey found herself thinking she could learn to like this place if she could manage to get a table behind the VIP rope.

“I was here a few nights ago staking out the place, and the owner’s office is down the hallway on the left,” Joy said, pressing an object into Fey’s hand. “Get in, find a computer, and slip this into the USB port. I programmed this one myself. It should download everything I need in a matter of minutes.”

Air, air, Fast and quick. Smart and clever, full of wit. Fey laughed softly, to herself. “Joy, you never cease to amaze me.”

Joy smiled brightly back at her, blue eyes sparkling. “I know.”

The mountain of a security guard beside the VIP rope hadn’t seen them yet. Joy eyed him, chewing her lip in concentration.

“Ready?” Joy asked. Fey nodded next to her, and Joy took a deep breath.

The calm, confident assassin Fey knew disappeared in an instant and appeared nothing at all like the hysterical Witch who stumbled forward toward the bouncer.

“Oh, thank the Goddess,” Joy gasped, her voice strangled with fear and panic. Fey pushed herself against the wall, further into the shadows, struggling to remain unnoticed.

“You have to help, they’re fighting!” Tears pooled in Joy’s eyes as she closed the distance between them and reached for the Shifter, all but collapsing against his arm.

“What do you mean? Who’s fighting?” he asked in a gruff voice, but she was already pulling him away from the rope, already leading him further into the club. And, like men always do, he followed her, letting her pull him along by his sleeve.

“There’s no time, they’re going to kill each other!” she sobbed. “Please! You have to stop them!”

Fey had to hand it to her, watching Joy lead the confused Shifter away, Joy could have been an actress.

She probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly as much, though.

The moment they were out of sight Fey ducked under the velvet rope separating the VIP from the ordinary patrons below. She rolled her eyes as she slipped past, heading for the hallway Joy had indicated.

Velvet rope, she thought to herself. What a fucking pretentious cliché.

In the hallway, the music from below was almost imperceptible. It was still dark back here, and Fey used it to her advantage, keeping to the shadows stretching down the hallway to stay hidden until she reached the owner’s office.

She tried the door.

Locked. Of course. Not a surprise, but also not a problem, especially for her. Fey had mastered unlocking sigils when she was fourteen.

Fey placed her finger on the wood of the door and drew the complex symbol against the grain. She was rewarded by the audible click of the deadbolt retreating as the door unlocked. Sparing one more glance down the hallway to make sure she hadn’t been seen, Fey opened the door just a crack and slipped inside, shutting the door behind her.

The office inside was unoccupied, just as Joy promised, but for a brief moment, Fey assumed she must have had the wrong room. She sure as hell hadn’t expected the manager to have an office like this.

It was… cozy.

The entire room was furnished in solid wood, from the heavy desk that dominated the middle of the space, to the bookcases lining the walls. Full bookcases, Fey noticed with appreciation. What she wouldn’t give to spend a few hours here, picking out a nice book, lounging in the huge oak and velvet armchair near the desk, sipping something hot and sweet…

But Fey didn’t have a few hours, so she pushed the fantasy out of her head. Joy couldn’t guarantee how long the office would be empty, and she needed to get to work.

There was a laptop open on the desk and no other computer in sight, so Fey figured it was their best shot. She moved around the desk, making sure to keep the door in her line of sight, and fumbled with Joy’s thumb drive before connecting it to the laptop. It emitted a pleasant electronic hum as it went to work.

The giant oak desk was covered in sheets of paper, some haphazardly separated into stacks, and Fey flipped through a few curiously, looking for… something. If Alice had been here in this club, if her investigation led her to this place, there had to be something here explaining why, some piece of evidence to help them figure out what had happened to her.